Prescription drugs being prepared for shipping at an OptumRX plant in Carlsbad, Calif. Credit J. Emilio Flores for The New York Times Regardless of whether Congress enacts health care reform, the private sector isn’t waiting. Health care for our employees is too expensive, and the employer-based system must be reformed. More Americans — 146 million people, or 57 percent of the country — get health insurance through their employers than they do through Medicare or Medicaid, ea

Nathan Taylor at his home in Tomball, Tex., just outside Houston, last month. When Mr. Taylor fills his prescription each month for Adderall XR, an attention-deficit medication, his insurance company refuses to cover the generic version. Credit Scott Dalton for The New York Times This article was written through collaboration between The New York Times and ProPublica, the independent, nonprofit investigative journalism organization. It’s standard advice for consumers: If you